Lhead starter question.

This morning, i jump in the jeep to goto work and it no starts. I dont have time to look, i take truck to work. I get back after work and start looking into the problem. I put key in ignition and try again, no juice. I put volt meter to battery i am getting about 12.5 volts. Last time i started it was last week and it started fine. Last Tuesday i was messing with the jeep by installing new battery cables and cleaning up some of the crappy wiring in the engine compartment. So i thoguht maybe i wired something wrong. The battery cable to the starter had two other componants taking voltage from the terminal, so i rewmove them and just have the battery cable connected to the starter. I try the footwitch again and nothing. I go back to the engien and notice the battery is starting to smoke. I quickly get off the cables from the battery. I retrace them and it is wired fine. I put volt meter to battery and it is down to 10 volts. So I am curious on how to test the starter?Since it is a foot operated starter it is just the plunger at the top and the positive battery cable from large terminal to battery. Kind of odd that the battery would short out in that quick of fashion. I am pretty scared that i roasted the battery since it had smoke just pouring out of the vent cover. And it is a maintenance free battery. I am looknig for a factory diagram on how the starting circuit is wired for a CJ3a. Thanks for an insight to this style starter.

 

I didn't have that good of luck with mine, it was worn completely out before it seized up and dead-shorted on me. The solution for me was a new (rebuilt) starter from Kaiser-Willys, but I had to send mine back as a core.

Rotsa ruck Dan!

 

Yeah i was hoping it wast stuck. is there any way to OHM it out to to see a dead short? As of right now the rig wont run anyway i decided it was time to go throguh the wiring. After pulling all te wires it looks like there was a newer harnes installed, it isnt that hacked up but someone added alot of smaller jumper wires into the mix. I jsut have to find a better palce for the fuse block. IT is a 14 circuit fuse block i defiantely think i need a smaller one since after writing up what i need for circuitry i will only need like 6 fuses But since it is a fiberglass tub i need to run groudns but that isnt that big. At least it will be nice and clean now wiring wise

 

I will pull it out this week and see what it is all about